Hajj is an act of worship that cannot be sanctioned except on the basis of textual evidence from the Quran or the Sunnah to that effect. The Prophet ﷺclarified the rulings pertaining to Hajj and explained that which is allowed and that which is not, and which actions can be delayed or in advance, and what can be open and flexible. The Companions (ras) transmitted all that to the next generation who in their turn transmitted to the people after them and so on. They even offered advice to people about what to do when some rulers make changes to the time and place of certain actions, which are considered flexible in such sense. In this hadeeth, the Taabi’ee ‘Abd al-‘Azeez ibn Rufay’ reports that he asked Anas ibn Maalik (ra) to narrate to him from the Prophet ﷺsomething he understood and comprehended. He asked him about the place where the Prophet ﷺprayed Thuhr and ‘Asr on the 8th day of Dhu al-Hijjah, a.k.a. the Day of Tarwiyah which is named as such because pilgrims drink and take their water supplied on that day preparing for standing at ‘Arafah. Anas ibn Maalik (ra) replied that he ﷺoffered the prayers in Minaa, which is a valley surrounded by mountains, located in the east of Makkah between Makkah and ‘Arafah and is about 6 km from the Sacred Mosque. It is the place where the rite of throwing the stones in Hajj. Then, he asked about the place where the Prophet ﷺprayed in the Day of Nafr, which is the day on which pilgrims return from Minaa to Makkah, which happens on the 3rd day of Tashreed. Anas ibn Maalik (ra) replied that he prayed in al-Abtah, alias al-Muhassib, a place that is known for its small pebbles, and is originally the valley of Makkah, in the south of the Haram, in front of the mountain of Thawr, which is a part of Minaa. Then, Anas ibn Maalik (ra) ordered him to do like his rulers do and pray where they pray, which indicates that the rulers at that time did not pray Thuhr at a particular place and that it is an open matter so people can pray where they like and leave whenever they want. This also indicates that what he (ra) reported from the Prophet ﷺis not considered one of the rites of Hajj that pilgrims are obliged to do, and it is said that it is one of the rites. The reason he (ra) ordered him not to oppose the rulers in order to avoid division and possible corruption..